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Thursday, March 10, 2011

Chicken Fried Steak

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...In some areas of the country, chicken fried steak is the queen of comfort food. Not surprisingly, the dish gets its name because it is prepared in the same manner as Southern fried chicken. While the origins of the dish are muddy, and claims of ownership are disputed, it's logical to conclude the dish was brought to the United States by Austrian immigrants, who then popularized it in the Southern and Western United States. The dish is quite similar to wiener schnitzel, a breaded and fried veal cutlet that comes from Vienna, Austria. There are, however, differences between the two. Chicken fried steak is made from tenderized beef rather than veal and its coated with seasoned flour rather than bread crumbs. The steak is pan-fried and its drippings form the base for a light gravy that is made with a well-seasoned chicken stock or milk. If you are interested, more background about this dish and its preparation can be found here. This is one of those delicious entrées that makes no pretense of being healthy or good for you. It rarely appears on my table, but when it does we thoroughly enjoy it. As an aside, I must tell you I have a friend from Kobe who insists that chicken fried steak is a copy of a Japanese creation called tonkatsu. Tonkatsu is a breaded and deep-fried pork cutlet and more information about it can be found here. It seems that breaded cutlets have joined the ranks of other foods, such as noodles and pancakes, that have spontaneously appeared on tables all over the world. While I love the thought of spontaneous generation, I suspect that these foods were carried by brave seamen and adventurers whom we should thank for the wonderful diversity on our tables. Here's my favorite recipe for Chicken Fried Steak.

Directions:1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.2) Cut meat with grain into 1/2-inch thick slices. Season each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place flour into a pie pan. Place eggs into a separate pie pan. Dredge meat on both sides in flour. Tenderize meat, using a jaccard type tenderizer, until each slice is 1/4-inch thick. Once tenderized, dredge meat again in flour, followed by egg and finally in flour again. Repeat with all pieces of meat. Place meat onto a plate and allow it to sit for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking.3) Use enough vegetable oil to cover bottom of a 12-inch skillet and set over medium-high heat. When oil begins to shimmer, add meat in batches, being careful not to overcrowd pan. Cook each piece on both sides until golden brown, approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove steaks to a wire rack set in a baking pan and place in oven. Repeat until all meat is browned.4) Add remaining vegetable oil, or at least 1 tablespoon, to skillet. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour left over from dredging. Add chicken broth and whisk until gravy comes to a boil and begins to thicken. Add milk and thyme and whisk until gravy coats a spoon, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Season to taste, with more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve the gravy over steaks. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

When I saw the title, I thought I was on the wrong blog - but we all just have to do this on occasion. I love this dish, but eat it rarely. I like the addition of chicken broth for the gravy and thanks for the background.

Mary,I almost hate to admit this but this recipe is my love language.I think covering steak in egg and flour and frying it, covering it with a white gravy and serving it with mashed potatoes is divine. I LOVE this recipe. YUMMY! I could eat the whole pan.I remember eating this as a child and it was my favorite!What a fabulous recipe. This is one I will certainl make.Thank you so much for sharing this.xo Yvonne

Oh, Mary, you know you are right in the wheelhouse of Texas cooks. LOL! Chicken Fried Steak was among the very first recipes I felt the need to master when I first left home many, many moons ago. I don't even let myself think of it these days. Ahhh... it is a shame how all the admonitions to eat healthy has ruined the fun!

Chicken fried steak is Chris' favorite meal. I try to make it for him every now and then...reminds him why he's with me!! lol Yours looks lovely!! Some scrambled eggs and a biscuit and I could be having breakfast right now!

Alton Brown comes up with some good ones, doesn't he? One of my all-time favorite salads made with edamame is his recipe.Would you believe I've never made chicken fried steak?? But I do know the gravy is key.Great recipe, Mary.

This looks divine! My son's both love Chicken Fried Steak so I think you've inspired me to think about fixing this for my youngest son when he returns next week from a mission's trip with his school to Nicaragua! I've been trying to think of something he would love after not having alot of good food while over there!! Thanks, Mary!

This is definitely something that hasn't caught on north of the 49th parallel. I remember my confusion the first time I had it in Oklahoma. No doubt about it, it's tasty, but the pale gravy put me off a little.

Fantastic recipe! I grew up in Oklahoma and normally there's not much to miss there (couple stoplights, few cows and some red dirt) but this post is making me nostalgic for dinner at the neighbor's house :) Thanks for sharing!

Oh, my, this looks wonderful!!!! Maybe you can wrap it and ship some to me?? Ha ha ha!! I never make it, though I love it, because just too much fuss with the pounding, dredging, frying, then cleaning up. And really most of it that you find in restaraunts is not that good, it needs to be home made. Hope you got my comment from yesterday's post, it was very late.

All real men, in particular, love chicken fried steak, as well as chicken fried chicken. Yes, this is to be served with mashed potatoes covered with the gravy, which also covers the meat. You can serve a green vegetable with it and some corn bread (NOT the sweet kind of corn bread that yankees favor because the don't know any better. If you serve a salad with it, a real man won't eat it, saving his energy for the steak and spuds. Beer goes well with this dish, as does unsweetened ice tea. If you serve a dessert afterward, there will be some very serious nap time. Another great post. Let's eat.

Oh my goodness, that looks perfect!!! Mashed potatoes on the side and I think I would eat myself into oblivion....Actually I think I will use this recipe tonight...I have elk steaks thawed and ready to be chicken fried!!!

I grew up in Oklahoma and I love chicken fried steak! What's funny is how regional it is--it's nearly impossible to find one here in Kansas. At least, one that hasn't come from the freezer section at Sam's Club. :-(

Mary, Chicken Fried Steak is one of my all time favorites but we've never made it at home. I've always had it when we were out at a restaurant. Maybe I'll give this simple recipe a try! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Chicken Fired Steak is one of my favorite foods. This recipe is so different from the others I've tried as they call for the use of cube steak, which, in itself, is a rather tough meat no matter what you do to it. I'm going to give yours a try. The picture is mouth-watering.

ohmygoodness! That looks so good! Being from the south, chicken fried steak was always available but I rarely ate it. Now that I'm in New England where I have yet to see it on the menu anywhere, I could eat a platter of the stuff and then follow it with one of your ah-mazing Double Chocolate mint Brownies. :)

Thanks so much for the recipes! I may make the brownies for dessert tonight!

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